Technology Implementation For Energy Optimization

Time to save $12 Billion by energy optimization

Our world is developing at such a pace that urbanization seems to be a thing of the past. Skyscrapers measuring the height of the sky have become commonplace. With this we have become dependent on many advanced ways of life and one such is the need for excessive and uninterrupted power supply. We are so much dependent on power that we cannot imagine our lives without it, even for a couple of minutes. We need energy and are getting it from multiple resources as and when needed. However, have we ever pondered if we can optimize our use of energy? Energy efficiency for a particular property/building could be measured using different metrics; Energy Use Intensity (EUI), Energy Cost Intensity (ECI) being some of them.

Energy use intensity (EUI) (kBTU/sq.ft) is what tells us how much energy a building is consuming per square feet in a year. EUI for a particular building is calculated by considering lot of factors like source of energy, geographical location, weather, total energy consumed by building, so on and so forth.

“Lower the EUI, the more efficient the building is”.

While seeking an answer to energy optimization, Helios Exchange, a San Francisco-based startup, came up with the brilliant idea of energy retrofits. This platform is helping people with insights into their power consumption and marching them towards the green premium of the buildings. Helios is currently populated with over 150,000 properties, representing 15 Billion sq.ft. of commercial real estate in U.S. Through this platform, users can search and discover their energy retrofit opportunities.

The platform is built on robust mathematical models considering several factors which affect the overall energy consumption in a building including usage pattern, external conditions, geographical location, weather & others. While implementing these models with the help of technology, our team came up with innovative approaches for 1) Data upload: Implementation of design that would process the data parallelly enables to reduce the computation time from ~35 seconds to ~2–4 seconds. 2) Data Processing: Standalone modular solution was developed to handle and extend to any type of subscription as well as enable and disable a tool/service based on the subscription. 3) Algorithm Implementations: Decoupled individual systems was developed that could communicate and handle the computations individually to derive the best performance from algorithms. 4) Data Visualization: Custom feature using flot.js to display aesthetically pleasing and informative graphs was developed to visualize the dynamic data.

In the words of CEO and founder of Helios Exchange Pierre Trevet, “Buildings account for 40% of the US energy use and carbon emissions. Typically, buildings can save 30% of their energy use through proven energy efficiency measures. Until now, the transaction costs to develop and finance energy retrofit projects in commercial real estate have been prohibitive, leaving 70% of the building stock unaddressed. Thanks to Helios’ game-changing retrofit risk simulation technology, financing and insuring the energy efficiency improvements can be done cost-effectively for any size building.” This unique online solution promises to make an annual energy savings opportunities worth $12 Billion.